NHL Playoffs 2012: The 6 Most Important Players in the Panthers-Devils Series

The 3 versus 6 matchup in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals features a pair of teams who missed the playoff cut in the 2010-11 season.

Here are the six most important players to watch in this series as the Panthers and Devils try to advance to Round 2 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can also view my article on the top five matchups to watch in this series here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1138846-nhl-playoffs-2012-the-5-biggest-matchups-to-watch-in-the-panthers-devils-series

1. Ilya Kovalchuk

Ilya Kovalchuk was the Devils' leading scorer during the regular season and the only point-per-game player during the regular season in this series, finishing fifth overall in the NHL scoring race with 83 points in 77 games.

No one is doubting the Russian sniper's offensive prowess. The doubt is in his ability to lead his team to playoff success and in his work ethic, particularly in playing reliable defense in his own zone rather than focusing totally on offense.

He will look to shed the perception that he can't handle playoff pressure, and in order to do that he will have to continue to score timely goals for the Devils. As a minus-9 on the season, he will also have to improve his defensive zone coverage if the Devils want a swift victory and a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

He can be absolutely lethal on the rush and in special teams situations—he scored 10 power play goals and three shorthanded during the regular season—and if his defensive zone coverage and leadership improve enough, he has the raw ability to be a real difference maker in this year's playoffs, perhaps even a Conn Smythe candidate.

If he plays the way he is capable, the Panthers will have an impossible time defending him.

2. Scott Clemmensen

As recently as Tuesday, Florida coach Kevin Dineen was still mum on who his starting goaltender will be for the Game one matchup at home with the New Jersey Devils.

Although Jose Theodore spent much of the season as the Panthers No. 1 goaltender, appearing in 53 games and recording his best stats in years with a 2.46 GAA and .917 save percentage, Dineen may be wise to instead go with Scott Clemmensen in net.

Clemmensen was 14-6-6 this year for the Panthers with a 2.57 GAA and a .913 save percentage. While those overall numbers seem to make the case for Theodore, his play in two specific games gives him the edge.

February 11 was the last meeting between these two teams, a game played in New Jersey. Clemmensen backstopped the Panthers to a 3-1 victory, stopping 27-of-28 shots. With the victory, Clemmensen improved to 4-0 lifetime against his former club.

He also helped the Panthers to their first Southeast Division title, winning their regular season finale against the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 4-1, allowing only one goal on 35 shots.

If Florida is serious about making some noise in the first round, Clemmensen may have to be the one in net instead of Theodore.

3. Bryce Salvador

The mostly unheralded defenseman for the New Jersey Devils deserves a lot more credit than he is getting for his play this season.

Salvador averaged 3:04 per game of penalty kill time on ice out of his 20:12 total ice time per game.

He was instrumental in helping establish the New Jersey Devils as the NHL's No. 1 rated penalty killing team for the regular season at 89.6 percent as he logged the most time on ice on the kill for the Devils this season with over 250 minutes played a man down.

He also has shown very responsible play in his own end while at even strength, allowing for more opportunities to start breakouts and play a puck possession game in the opposition's zone.

He led the Devils this season in plus/minus with a plus-18, and was also second on the team in blocked shots with 107. Despite all the minutes logged one man down and the amount of rubber he's stopped before it reached Martin Brodeur, he is one of only two (along with Mark Fayne) Devils defensemen that suited up for all 82 games during the regular season.

The Devils will need Salvador to continue his steady play on the back end both at even strength and on the penalty kill in order to advance into the second round.

4. Jason Garrison

Brian Campbell has had a terrific and resurgent season for the Florida Panthers this year, one year after being largely forgotten and cast aside by the Chicago Blackhawks for an inflated salary and a downturn in quality of play.

In what was mostly called a salary grab so that the Panthers would meet the new salary floor for the 2011-12 season, former Blackhawks GM and new Panthers GM Dale Tallon traded for Campbell and his unwieldy contract.

Campbell responded with an excellent offensive season, helping Florida to the league's seventh best power play (18.5 percent) and tallying 53 points on the year, one more than his previous career high recorded with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2008-09 season. Those 53 points included 49 assists, good for second in the NHL for defensemen behind only likely Norris Trophy candidate Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators.

But then why is Jason Garrison's photo on this slide?

Campbell has been terrific, but he gets to jump into the play because Garrison is more often than not his defensive partner. He has been a steady force on the blue line with a great balance of vision, size, calmness and a booming shot.

Jason Garrison has been the Panthers best overall defensemen, and it is because of his play that Campbell can often act as a fourth forward, even when at even strength. He is the only Panthers defensemen with a plus rating (plus-6) and he set a franchise record for goals by a defensemen this year with 16.

Garrison will have to do his share and more to help shut down the offense of the New Jersey Devils as well as generate offense for the Panthers, whether it's with his uncannily accurate slap shot or with steady defensive play allowing Brian Campbell to join the rush.

5. Sean Bergenheim

As a team built primarily through free agent acquisitions and trades during last offseason, the Florida Panthers are actually stocked with veteran players who have a wealth of Stanley Cup Playoff experience.

Players such as Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, Tomas Kopecky, John Madden and Mikael Samuelsson have all hoisted the cup before and know what to expect in the playoffs even though the Florida franchise hasn't been to the playoffs since before the NHL lockout.

But Sean Bergenheim's knack for timely goal scoring in the playoffs may prove invaluable for the Panthers if they plan to beat the Devils in the first round.

Last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning was Sean Bergenheim's first NHL playoff experience. But instead of being intimidated by more playoff-tested teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals, Bergenheim elevated his play and helped drive the Lightning to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.

Along the way he scored nine goals (all at even strength) in 16 playoff games, providing the type of secondary scoring the Panthers are going to need to beat the Devils.

6. Martin Brodeur

He is the winningest goaltender in NHL regular season history.

He has three Stanley Cups and two Olympic Gold Medals to his credit along with enough other hardware to fill several trophy cases.

He has appeared in over 180 playoff games for the Devils in his 20 years with New Jersey, and many have speculated that the end of his historical career may be near.

Brodeur appeared in three games against the Florida Panthers this season, going 1-2 with a 2.61 GAA and a .901 save percentage. He will need to perform better than that if the Devils want to get past the Panthers in round one.

If one of the greatest goaltenders of all time turns in a strong playoff performance as he has for the Devils in the past, New Jersey will be difficult to beat.